Degrassi: Last Stop This Town
by Savvy0915
Summary: Roxy is leaving the states in hopes of finding stablility in life. There's one thing she wasn't anticipating: Craig Manning. Let's see what kind of trouble this Jersey girl can get into at Degrassi where as always the drama is ripe and the teens angsty.
1. Degrassi Part 1: The Sound of Settling

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Hey all! I have a just a few things to say before I let you read my baby (yes, my baby...this has taken a huge a mount of time and many drops a metaphorical blood, sweat and tears)

.:.:.:.This is the first installment of what will be a long Degrassi series. I started writing this a couple of years ago so keep in mind that it takes place before the shootout at Degrassi, before Craig goes on tour and during the time Emma still hates Manny.

.:.:.:.The Chapters will be named after songs so if you listen to the song it'll put you into the mood for each chapter. Also I pride myself on my good music taste so I encourage you to check them out anyway.

.:.:.:. I have a slight, huge, obsession with Craig so there will be lots of him in here for all my Craig lovers out there.

.:.:.:.If you guys ever want to get in contact with me or have any questions or suggestions feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you since I practically live online.

.:.:.:.I have about 250 pages already written so I'll be posting a new chapter about everyday to keep you satisfied.

Thanks and Enjoy!

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**The Sound of Settling**

The Sound of Settling by Deathcab for Cutie

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As you stared out the window tears rolled down your cheek; they mirrored the raindrops that slid down the widows of your car. It seemed like Mother Nature completely agreed with your feelings and felt the whole world had to suffer with you. You thought back to your English class; sympathetic nature indeed. Outside resembled a watercolor painting, all the different shapes and forms blended together and all the colors just seemed to be a different shade of grey in this light. You watched as trees, cars, signs and your life passed by in a blur. New Jersey, to New York, to Nigara Falls. You pressed your cheek against the cold glass of the passenger seat window and exhaled. A thick fog covered the window and provided a barrier between you and the outside just before you had to face the inevitable. Right at this moment you knew you were racing further and further away from your home and hurtling towards Canada. You knew what came right after Niagra Falls but refused to face it. You glanced at your mom on the driver's side in the seat next to you but immediately looked down so she wouldn't see you crying, too late. Her motherly sense was tingling and she started to ask what was wrong. She stopped in the middle of the question knowing it wasn't a smart one, of course she knew what was wrong and you silently thanked her for not continuing. She spoke in hopes of comforting you.

"So you'll get to see Emma again. When was the last time you two saw each other?" , hearing her voice was almost startling after five hours of silence.

"I'm not really sure", you rolled your eyes but decided to humor her, " I think we were 12 or something"

"Well at least you have someone to lean on the first couple weeks, right?", she raised her eyebrows but was sure to keep her eyes on the road, she hated driving in the rain.

"Yea", you sighed. You thought about everything you left behind; your friends, your home. The knot in your stomach had migrated up to your throat and tightened. You were leaving your whole life behind. You tried to be positive. New beginnings were a good thing; you would not take this opportunity for granted. In a way you were glad you were moving, a fresh knew start, you could be whoever you wanted and not be held to whatever your friends had expected you to be. You had no friends here. Positive. Stay positive, you warned youself. You were moving further away from your father, this was good. Your parents had been separated since you were born and when he lived close to you, you barely spoke anyway, you might as well have been in two different worlds. As far as you were concerned moving as far away as possible took away his privilege to come in and out of your life as he pleased, moving to a different country was just what you needed (even if it was only from the US. to Canada).

Despite your flat response you were glad Emma was there. The friendship had begun sometime around your birth and until three years ago you were pretty close. You were more than willing to blame the teenage years for the separation. The gap could be easily mended. Satisfied with how easyily the situation could be worked out you let the rocking motion of the car lull you back to sleep.

.:.:.:.:.

You arrived at your house at 4:15 am and went in to unroll some sleeping bags on the floor, now was not the time for unpacking. Instead of going straight to bed or waiting till morning (like normal people would have) to go knocking on Spike and snakes door (Emma's mother and her step-dad, who coincidentally was also a teacher at your new school) you did so immediately. It was easy to go over since they were conveniently located next door.

Your mom pressed the door bell button softly as if doing so would make the bell less loud. You hastily raked your hands through your hair to fix it from the nap you had in the car. A very sleepy Spike answered the door and tried to stifle a yawn. The look on her face was not pleasant and you distinctly heard an infant bawling. However, as soon as she opened her eyes enough to see who was waking her family at this hour she immediately embraced the two of you and invited you in. You saw Snake walking down the stairs with a baby in his arms and he smiled as well, your mom said hi but reluctantly forgot to say sorry for waking the baby. Five minutes had passed when Emma came upstairs from her basement room. She looked up at you and squealed as you both ran over to hug each other. You were surprised by the amount of energy she was able to muster up in the middle of the night, you could only assume it meant good things about the friendship between you two. Positive, you were staying positive. She brought you downstairs and you talked for an hour about everything, she was happy to find out you were going to Degrassi and couldn't wait till the winter break was over. You knew it, the gap was mended. Your mom called you upstairs, you hugged Emma good-bye and turned out the lights for her to return to sleep. You returned home and as you slid into the sleeping bag you decided that this move wasn't going to be so bad afterall. It wasn't just optimism, it was the truth.

You and your mom spent the next two days unpacking and redecorating the house. The living room was painted burgundy and had brown sofas and all oak furniture to match. The kitchen was all light blue and green. The dining room was white with black furniture. And though you were somewhat biased you decided that the best was your room. You had taken the basement of the house, which was as big as the entire first floor. You painted all the walls a navy blue color and all your furniture was metal, either silver or black. You had an area that served as a bedroom but due to the size of the space, you also had an area that served as an office. It held a huge "L" shaped desk, and a few cabinets. Your desk was covered with other things; picture frames, knickknacks and an assortment of pens.

You inherited the old living room furniture, big black comfy sofas and a huge TV which made creating a livingroom area relatively easy. Your bathroom was fashioned with deep purple tiles and purple towels and like any other teenage girl you had two walls dedicated to your favorite band which at the moment was the Kooks. You really shouldn't have even bothered painting the walls because they were masked by the posters anyway. It was hard to contain how excited you were with this bedroom that had turned out to resemble an apartment.

You knew what your mom had been planning for tonight but to be honest the idea of a housewarming party was not something that made you happy. You had just moved and were very unsettled on the inside despite your "glass-half-full" approach. You just wanted to take a shower and mope for a few days. Your mom favored a different approach , she liked being thrown into the action. Tonight she was getting her way.

In response to your distress call Emma got there about two hours early to help you get ready and decorate. She wore a pink dress and beige ballerina flats. You had just gotten out of the shower and after taking too long to get dressed, you found yourself in a gray clingy dress that showed off your curves, tiny body frame and huge hips. You brushed out your hair and admired the new coat of red that had been applied to your old light brown hair. Your mom finally let you dye it as an "im sorry we are moving please don't hate me" sort of thing. You twirled some of your hair around your fingers before you added mouse to hold the curls in place once your wildly curly hair was dried.

"Your hair looks great like that Roxanne, I can't believe your mom let you dye it. I can't even get a second piercing", Emma laughed.

"Yea, sometimes it's hard to remember that our moms grew up in the same generation", you smiled. Emma's mom wasn't really strict but when you compared anyone's partenting techniques to your mother's, they often came out looking like a Nazi. Your mother had quickly adopted the "I trust you" idea and as a result she often let you do whatever you wanted. You knew she got lucky with you and you weren't afraid to say it even if you came off cocky. With any other child her approach could've backfired and she'd have ended up with a cocaine dealing daughter who dropped out of high school. You had gotten lucky too though. As far as mothers went, yours was definitely the best.

"Finally got those braces off huh?", you said as you attempted to shave your leg over the sink, your frenzy had caused you to forget to do so in nthe shower. You admired Emma's transformation too, her teeth curved into a prefect smile. Her silky blonde hair had grown and she was taller. "So where's that girl you always used to hang out with? Margaret I think..", you asked. She laughed

" Manny, and no I don't even want to pretend to know her", she snorted.

Your eyebrows rose in response "Oh", you toned down your voice to appear only mildly interested.

"Yea she changed on me", she shook her head as she looked herself over in the mirror.

"I see" you were actually relived knowing that now Emma was all yours.

"Just one bad thing after another. It was too much drama for me"

"Welcome to the rest of your life" you smiled

"Yea well, I try to escape it when I can" with that the doorbell rang.

You took one last look at yourself in the mirror alongside Emma, you both pouted in very modelesque ways and posed.

"We look hot!" she grinned.

You both went upstairs and on the way to the door spotted snake, spike and the baby also helping you guys prepare. You went to get the door and tugged at Emma's arm. You pulled open the door and saw a tall lady with blond hair who you recognized as Caitlin one of your moms old friends, next to her was a guy about the same height with a shaved (or balding, you were never sure and didn't want to ask) head who you knew was Joey. They pulled you into a very firm hug as if this time making sure you would go nowhere.

You also recognized Angie, Joey's five year old daughter who immediately started screaming "Roxy, Roxy, Roxy!!"

"Is that my little Angie?", you gasped, "No, it can't be"

"No! It _is _me, I promise", she pleaded.

"I don't know", you shook your head, "_My _Angie was just a baby. You're way too big"

"Well I'm a big girl now Roxy, but I wasn't before. Daddy tell her it's me!", she demanded.

"It's her Rox", he obliged.

"See I told you", she shook her finger at you.

"So I guess it is you. Well get your little butt over here and give me a hug then!" You kissed her on the forehead and put her down. Behind Joey there was a tall boy about your age with a camera slung around his neck. He was wearing a The Clash t-shirt and black jeans. Good music taste, you thought. The camera could mean that he was artsy. How about a tortured artist? They were hot. You could definitely take on one of those. He was cute too; he had wavy dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a gorgeous smile. The attraction was instantaneous. You didn't like it. Your face was flushed and he hadn't even looked you in the eye yet. This was not good.

"Well hello hello Emma. I didn't expect to see you here. I was beginning to look forward to spending one of my last nights of vacation in a house full of people not even born in the same decade as me", he snickered. His voice was full of relief.

"Very funny Craig", she replied.

He glanced over at you, "Well I actually might've found something to keep me occupied. I'm Craig by the way", he held his hand out. You wanted to recoil just because of his cockiness. Your mom would've wanted you to play nice. You took his hand and could almost feel shivers travel up your spine. You frowned, this was not the reaction you wanted to have to his touch. In this instant you had to decide how you were going really to play. Was it going to be hard to get or would you take the plunge. Hard to get, that was more fun but based on the way you felt about him now playing hard to get would also be more difficult and even painful for you.

"Roxanne", you grinned, poor guy didn't know what was in store. He asked you and Emma to lift up Angie and you three posed for a picture, you tried particularly hard on perfecting those model moves you and Em had been practicing earlier. Within two hours the house was filled with all of your mom's old friends who lived near by, you were proud to recognize most of them. After grabbing a bowl of chips and some plates of lasagna you, Emma and Craig went downstairs to your room and sat on the couches to watch tv.

You guys clicked right away and in true Emma fashion she forced Craig to promise to keep his eyes on you at all times especially when Emma wasn't there to watch. That you didn't mind so much.

You laughed "I'm a big girl I _think_ can handle myself, I've been doing well for the last 16 years".

"Yea but we don't want you mixing with the wrong people" warned Emma. It was nice to have another mother, you thought, in place of a father. Angie came running down the stairs and you got up from the couch and lifted her in the air and threw her up. You immediately regretted it because she then begged for you to do it over and over again. You missed her but the last time you saw her she was three and Craig wasn't part of the "her and Joey" deal. The addition wasn't bad though, you could definitely get used to it. It also made you wonder what had brought Craig around. You weren't sure if you wanted to ask.

You felt him staring at you and looked over at him and smiled, he smiled back. Emma was too engrossed in the TV to notice. Your arms felt sore from lifting a 30 pound girl over and over and over and over. To escape you pretended to faint and threw yourself back onto the couch. She giggled and jumped on you and hugged you, you hugged her back and the amount that you missed her finally sunk in. She then ran back up stairs.

"She really likes you" Craig said.

"God I missed her so much, I haven't been up here in a while", you paused and considered your words before adding, "So how come you live with Joey now?"

You felt Emma's attention shift from the television to the two of you. Apparently it was the wrong question to ask. He frowned, "It's a long story".

Normally you would've followed up with, "Well I have time", but you figured that was his way of saying he didn't want to talk about it. You understood. Well no, you didn't, but he would fill you in when he was comfortable.

That night, after the party was over Emma spent the night. You and Emma brushed your teeth changed into your PJs and plopped down onto your huge bed, it had been a long day. It was just like old times and you quietly appreciated how easy it was for you two to go back to normal. Sleep came easily that night.


	2. Degrassi Part 2: The Girl from Back Then

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**The Girl from Back Then**

The Girl From Back Then by The Kings of Convenience

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You and Emma were at the mall the next day accompanied by Craig to go shopping for clothes for after the winter break. Something had managed to change your attitude about moving and in addition you were excited to get back to school. New clothes made you happy which definitely added to the good mood you were in. However, you felt that you could just as easily look up to pinpoint the source of your light and carefree mood because he was sitting across the table.

"So have you gotten your schedule yet?" asked Craig.

"Um yea I did" you replied.

"We both have Mr. Simpson for homeroom", Emma said proudly.

"You mean snake right?" you asked confused.

"Duh", she said simply, "and we have like two other classes together too".

"Well I'd like to look at it too so I could see what classes we have together and see which ones where you're on your own" said Craig protectively. You weren't completely taken aback. He had been acting this way all day. So he was planning on following through with his promise. You wondered if it was solely about being protective because you were new here. Anywhere else the way he was acting would've indicated that he had a claim on you. But this was Canada and you weren't sure how things worked here anymore. Okay that was stupid but you felt the need to make an excuse for the way he was acting.

You remembered that you had stuck you schedule in your pocket this morning after you got it from snake and Emma had already looked over it with you. You pulled it out and handed the folded and wrinkled piece of paper to Craig.

After he looked at the dismal state of your schedule he shook his head and continued to read it.

Finally he looked up and said "Well we have two classes together plus the one that me you and Emma and then the one that you and Emma have without me so that's four classes where you're covered. That means you on your own for three classes."

You inhaled sharply and that was enough to scare him, "Oh no, I…I don't think I can live!! I need you Craig because without you I'm NOTHING!! I feel so, so vulnerable" you slapped your palm to your forehead to make it as dramatic as possible. Then you laughed. He raised his eye brow and you then immediately offered him some of your milkshake as a peace offering. He instantly forgave you, you liked to think that it was your charm that got people to forgive you. Though sometimes you wondered if it was pity.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

You returned home a few hours later and put everything in your closet. You threw yourself on your bed and played with the silver lining of your navy comforter. You thought about everything that happened these past three days, it really wasn't as bad as you had anticipated. You remembered being here but leaving before kindergarten, you remembered Emma and how much fun you had. You tried to visit regularly but only talked to Emma and your mom's friends, which was how you met Angie. After a while you just lost touch with everything and everyone. You talked for a while about coming back but thought the idea would just blow over. In the end, however, here you were.

You looked at the clock beside your bed and saw that it was only 4:15. You were a teenager, home alone on a free night and bored out of your mind, there was something very wrong with this picture. What else was there to do but call your friends? The list now reached a whopping number of two. You called Emma to ask if she was free to go to a movie.

"Oh god I'll do ANYTHING to get away from jacks crying, I'll be over in a bit"

After that you called Craig. Joey picked up and passed the phone to Craig who, you were told, was apparently in the garage playing with his band. You waited for Craig to pick up the phone but instead you heard a deeper voice speak.

"Hello?", the stranger asked.

"Who is this?", you almost demanded.

"Who's this?", he asked.

"I'm not going to play this game"

"Well whoever you are you sound hot", he snickered and you heard a loud smack in the background. You hoped Craig was avenging you.

"Oh please", you were not in the mood, "Put Craig on the phone _now_"

"Roxanne?"

"Yes?", you were hesitant.

"Ok this is Craig"

"Good. He was a little weird", you smiled and hoped that he couldn't hear it through the phone.

"Hah yea well he's harmless", you could feel him grinning. It made you smile.

"So you have a band huh?", the girly flirtaciousness in your voice made you want to gag.

"Mhmm"

"That's cool, but that's not why I called" you said then laughed "I was calling to ask if you had plans for today cause me and Emma are going to the movies in a few"

"Hmm well me and the guys are just about finished here so yea I can pass by"

"Great we'll be here so pass by before seven"

"Be over in a few"

Happy with your plan making you glanced once again at the clock and saw it was only 4:22. Now what was there to do? Just then the doorbell rang you knew it was Emma and you rushed upstairs to answer the door. She was wearing black jeans and a pink shirt, had her hair up and was wearing light pink eyeshadow.

"Em it's only a movie and we just came back from the mall why did you change?"

"Well have you ever burped a baby?", she arched an eyebrow.

"Valid point"

"Yea"

"Then I should change too" you realized that while you were putting the clothes away you changed into your pajamas not thinking you would go out again.

"ya think? But then again it might work for you"

"haha Em", you said without the slightest bit of humor. You went downstairs and picked out some clothes. You picked out a pair of blue jeans, a huge black belt and a tight white tank top that exposed only a little cleavage. You took a quick shower, put black eyeliner on like this afternoon but decided to put a very thin line of white eyeliner above it. You scrunched your hair with your hands and then began flipping it around while trying to make it settle perfectly. You then turned to Emma.

"Yes Roxy it's only a movie remember?"

"Well I couldn't have you upstage me" you and her both giggled. You went up to the living room and unlocked the door for when Craig arrived. You clicked on the tv and plopped down on the couch. Somewhere in the middle of an episode of friends you must've dozed off. When you woke up it was to a flash before your eyes and realized it was Craig who was taking a picture of you and Emma while you were sleeping. You snarled and tried to wipe drool off of your face before he noticed. You suddenly realized it was pointless, he already had it on film. You looked over at the clock and saw that it was seven on the dot. "Punctual huh?" you stretched and yawned.

"You know it", Craig said with a hint of laughter in his voice. You shook Emma awake.

"Are we leaving now?", she rubbed her eyes.

"Yea let's go", you stood up and stretched. You pulled your sweater on and walked towards the door, you breathed in and smelled a delicious smell. It was a little spicy but smooth at the same time. You stepped back and turned to Craig, you pulled his shirt towards you to smelled it. "You smell good" you looked up at Craig then over at Emma, "Em apparently we're not the only ones overdressed for this occasion" you laughed.

When you got there you decided to take a closer look around at the locals. You took a look at all the guys and weren't at all disappointed. You smirked, "Not too shabby", you whispered to Emma. She looked over at you and nodded in agreement.

Craig was more occupied by the movie listings. "Oh I wanna see that one", he said while wagging his finger at a title.

"Eagle Eye", you said out loud.

"Oh I heard that was really good", Emma said while jumping a little.

"Okay Em calm down we'll see it", you laughed. Craig offered to buy tickets but you had too much pride for that. You bought the tickets but still had 35 minutes until the movie started.

"35 minutes to kill, any ideas", Craig asked.

"VIDEO GAMES!" your inner child squealed. You and Emma ran towards the lobby where the video games were. You immediately went to the prize machine; dug in your pocket, jammed a couple of quarters in the slot and started moving a joystick that rolled a ball back and forth you tried to get it up a series of turns and jumps without letting it fall. Within seconds you were sticking your hand in the machine and pulling out a huge stuffed animal resembling a lumpy unicorn.

"I love unicorns", you said triumphantly.

"You're really good at that", said Emma in shock.

"Yea nobody can ever get those on the first try, or second, or third, or ever", said Craig, but he almost cringed when he looked at the animal and that suddenly spiked your interest.

"Well other than at fairs or movie theaters it's a very useless talent", you sighed, "We shold go play those racing games", you pointed to the motorcycles currently being dominated by sitxth grade boys.

"I'll beat you there", Craig ran off to guard the machines.

When he was safely out of earshot you looked at Emma, "I need you to explain something to me"

"Okay, Shoot"

"So In a normal world this is just a unicorn", you held it up in the air, "But apparently in Craig's world this is a weapon of mass destruction. Explain", you prompted.

"Ohhh", she frowned, "Once upon a time there was this girl"

"Bad things happened?", you listened with wide eyes. You felt like she was telling you a bedtime story.

"Yes mam. I'll spare you the details but on their first date, which was a disaster by the way, he won her a unicorn. I guess there's just some baggage there", she shrugged.

"Interesting", you thought for a second. Emma followed Craig and sat down next to you him on the next motorcycle and you came over and sat on his left. You all put quarters in and began to race. You were in first and Craig was in second with Emma all the way behind because she wasn't paying attention when it started.

"Why do you have to be good at this too??" Craig said playfully but you could immediately tell his playfulness was a front for his being upset about your video game skills.

"What can I say? I'm just full of useless talents", you shot a smile at him. He looked at you then focused on the screen. You were about 10 yards away from the finish line when you were pushed off your motorcycle.

"Hah! I win", screamed Craig as he fumbled to get off the motorcycle to jump around in glee.

"Craig!! YOU CHEATER", you pulled your hair out of your face and attempted to kick him in the shins, unsuccessfully, before you struggled to lift yourself up off the ground.

"That he is", said agirl approaching him from behind. Her fingers lightly brushed over his shoulders and made his hairs stand on end. She had huge hoop earrings on and a belly shirt on. You were sure that she had other qualities about her but you were truly overwhelmed by her heaving breasts to really notice anything else. How was that even possible?

You looked over at Emma and she had a strange look on her face.

"Hey, Craig, Emma what's up?", the girl said effortlessly.

"Nothin much", Craig replied though his voice was really reserved, "Just waiting for the movie to start, playing video games" he said then glanced at you and saw the still flustered look on your face.

"Who's your friend?" you said after you had pushed the last two minutes behind you.

"W-w-what?", he stumbled over that one word.

"The one you pushed off her bike. Is it safe to assume that you two are friends"

"I wouldn't assume anything Manny, it tends to get people in trouble", Emma stepped in. Oh. Manny.

"So then she's not your friend", Manny looked confused.

"No, no, she is", Craig said, finally gaining control over his speech.

"Now that wasn't so hard was it?", she smiled.

"We should go", Emma asserted.

"Let's go then", Craig nodded in agreement.

"I get it, I get it. You always did know how to make people feel unwanted Emma. Bye Craig", she ran her hand along his face, "And friend", she raised her eyebrow at you and walked away.

There were just too many questions that you needed answered.

When it was decided that Shia LaBeouf was a hottie, you Emma and Craig walked home. When you got in to your bedroom you took a hot shower then collapsed into bed after lazily flicking on your i-pod which was currently playing your favorite compilation of Emo music. On a normal day this would've been enough to put you to sleep. Today was not a normal day. You pulled the earphones out and blindly grabbed around for your phone.

"This had better be really important", Emma growled from the other end of the line.

"It is really important. I mean from the standpoint of you being my friend and all, don't you care about my sanity and emotional well being?", you tried to soften her up.

"I stop listening in ten seconds so you better stop fumbling and spit it out already"

"Let's say hypothetically I was interested in this guy. This guy also used to be involved with this girl so much so that he cringed when he saw something that reminded him of her. What do I do?"

"No no no, Craig has too much baggage for you and other things that I really don't want to get into. There are like a million guys that are perfectly available and stable at Degrassi. Just hold on for a couple more days before you start sizing people up to be your boyfriend.", you could feel her shaking her head on the other end.

"What did he do?", you tried to coax it out of her.

"He made a mistake", she said.

"But he's really cute", you argued.

"Guys with baggage have to have a mechanism to disguise their baggage from girls. In Craig's case it's his looks. His looks trick you into overlooking all the really fucked up things about him. You don't want anything to do with that", Emma stated clearly.

"Well he's doing a good job at distracting me", you pulled the covers over your head and rolled over, "Manny is the unicorn girl isn't she?"

"That'd be her", she said.

"But that's not the only baggage?", you asked.

"That doesn't even begin to cover it"

"God hates me", you sighed.

"Don't sweat it, when you walk through the doors at Degrassi you'll be pleasantly surprised with the guys there. Not to mention when they see that you're new they'll be all over you", she reassured you.

"Fine, I trust you"


	3. Degrassi Part 3: I Want You to Want Me

* * *

**I Want You to Want Me**

I Want You to Want Me by Save Ferris

* * *

You woke up the next morning to an irritating feeling on your face. After opening your eyes you realized that it was Emma poking you with a twig.

"What in the hell are you doing?!" , you shooed her away from your face with your arms then violently turned away.

"Poking you obviously" she said sarcastically.

You peeked one eye open at the clock, it read 9:05 am, you sighed heavily but still weren't willing to give up sleep. "So, what was so damn important that you had to wake me up so early?", you grumbled.

"Um, early?", she questioned.

"Yes early and this had better be important.", you pulled the blanket over your head.

She tugged it back, "What would qualify as _important?_", she asked.

"Either the sky would have to be falling or Rupert Grint would have to be at my door. Naked", you grumbled.

"Well the sky is kinda falling", she laughed.

"How can it be kind of falling?"

"It's snowing", that's when you realized it, Emma was raveled under piles of clothes and scarves. You debated getting up. She might leave you alone eventually, but how long would that take? You forced yourself out of bed and picked out a bunch of clothes trudged into the bathroom and pulled them on. You came out wearing a black turtle neck and a pair of worn out blue jeans. You put on your coat, scarf, snow gloves and black boots.

"So where are we going?", you searched for your hat.

"To pick up Craig", she opened the door for you two to exit.

"Oh, really",you held back a frown. After last night's conversation you weren't sure if you should be seeing Craig. His love life seemed to be cloaked in mystery and you didn't know who would explain it to you. Emma had made it clear that she wasn't going to and you doubted Craig would lay out all the dirty details of his romances. This was a dead end.

"Remember, don't sweat it", she reassured you, "It'll be especially easy considering that it's like five below zero outside"

"That's so not funny that I'm going to pretend I never heard it", you pulled on a hat and another scarf. You almost gasped when you walked outside. The entire world had been transformed over night. Snow was settled all over everything and it sparkled in the sun. It crunched softly as you stepped forward, as if you were walking on cornstarch. A few flakes got caught in your eyelashes as you looked up. In this moment you wished that nature was enough to distract you from what was really on your mind. You walked about seven blocks to get to Craigs house. This was the first time you'd seen his house with him in it. You got up to the door and Angie opened it immediately as if she was waiting for you. She jumped on you and dragged you into the house. You saw Craig pulling on a jacket and looking up at you and Emma. He walked towards the door and slipped on his boots then said goodbye to Angie and closed the door.

"So where are we going?" you asked.

"The park maybe the dot" Craig answered knowingly.

"The dot?" you raised your eyebrow.

"It's a grill kinda place" Emma stated.

You looked forward and saw a huge park about 3 blocks ahead. You were searching for some kind of way to get out all the pent up energy and anxiety you were feeling. This was absolutely ridiculous, you had just met Craig. "Beat you there!!" you screamed while Em and Craig looked at you questioningly. You started running immediately and within 10 seconds were almost a full block ahead of them. You looked back and saw Craig getting real close and you tried to run faster. After about a minute you were going through the gates of the park with Craig only a few feet behind you, your legs were getting tired. You tried to run towards a huge tree but failed, you were tackled down and your face was shoved in the snow. "CRAIG!!" you screamed while fighting back the instant brain freeze you'd just received. You looked up at Craig who was on top of you. This racing thing was a terrible idea. The warmth of his smile seemed to melt away the pain in your head. You lifted your head up off the ground and he slowly brought his face closer to yours. This was the worst possible situation you could be in. Your faces were inches from each other and you couldn't stop. You were on the verge of closing your eyes when you were both tackled to the ground once again by Emma.

"That took a while", you said to Emma trying to brush off whatever could've and didn't happen between to you and Craig. You were incredibly grateful.

"Yea I slipped on a patch of ice", she said while rubbing her butt tenderly. You got up and ran towards the tree that you couldn't reach before. You grabbed a handful of snow and rolled it into a ball and quickly did the same to another. You then picked one of them up and pegged it at Craig.

"That's for being a bully" you said with a smile. You then gently threw one at Emma, "that was just for fun".

"Oh so it's about revenge now is it?" Craig said while gathering some snow and standing up.

"AHHHHHHHHHH" you screamed while both Emma and Craig started running towards you. You were running as fast as you could and saw a large group of people. You attempted to blend in with them but there was one thing that gave you away, your neon pink scarf.

"Damn", you mumbled to yourself while weaving through the crowd of people.

"THERE!" you heard Emma scream. Four snowballs hit you in the back and you looked up to see Craig laughing, Emma was talking to a guy with short wavy brown hair. You brushed snow out of your face, ran towards Craig, jumped on top of him, grabbed some snow and shoved it in his face and mouth.

"Yummy huh?" you said with a gigantic smile on your face.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me", he said. Suddenly he grabbed your waist, lifted you off the ground and pinned you down underneath him. He grabbed a bunch of snow returned the favor. "So how is it?", he couldn't control his laughter. You coughed up a bunch of snow and struggled to wipe it out of your eyes. You pushed him into the snow face first and got up to walk towards Emma.

"Oh this is her", Emma said while pulling you over.

"Hi, I'm Roxanne", you put your hand out and smiled.

"Hey, I'm J.T." He had a gorgeous smile and light brown eyes, though his voice made it clear that he was a little younger. "So Em told me that you just moved in" he smiled again.

"Yea"", you replied with an even bigger smile as if you were competing with him. "And, I'm going to Degrassi", you predicted what the next question was gonna be.

"I figured that one out on my own", he said. Wrong you were.

"Oh I see-", your voice trailed off as soon as you saw a huge ice skating rink. You wanted to go to it without seeming rude, but you couldn't come up with an excuse. You blamed the cold for slowing your brain and shutting down your creativity. "Um I gotta go", that was good enough. It was one place you knew both Emma and Craig couldn't catch you. You ran over to the rink and rented a pair of ice skates. You slipped them on and immediately started to skate. You glided across the ice effortlessly and looked back to see Emma and Craig clinging on to each other trying to stay up, but J.T. was nowhere in sight, you shrugged and kept twirling. You felt like you were in some movie where the criminals are outsmarted by the victim. The movie would most likely be home alone. "You guys look like wobbly penguins", you shouted.

"It's not our fault we can't skate", Craig said defensively as he braced himself by clutching both Emma and the wall.

"Excuse you, we? I can skate, not as good as Rox but I can. You're the one holding me back", Emma said taking Craig's clenched hand off her shoulder. He immediately fell to the floor but you rushed over to catch him.

"You're welcome"

"Oh yea thanks, but I can do it myself you know", he maintained his balance for a second.

"Ok then", you dropped him and skated away. You turned around and watched him as a crumpled heap on the floor, he eyed you evilly, "I'm just kidding", you skated back over to him and offered him your hand to pick him up.

"So how is this gonna work?", he looked at you suspiciously.

"Well I'm gonna teach you", you paused and added the necessary, "duh".

"Oh ok"

"You have to follow my lead though. Is that okay with you. What I mean is, this is no time to pretend to be macho", you smiled.

"Oh, I'm never pretending Roxanne. I just ooze testosterone"

You rolled and eyes and took Craig's hands and put them on your waist. "Just watch my feet". You knew that you wanted him, there was a lot of fun in trying to make him want you back. You started off slowly and he followed though continuing to wobble. After about 10 minutes he was skating pretty well. You turned around and grabbed his hands to face him.

"Stop showing off"

"I'm not showing off Craig. I just ooze perfection", you winked.

"Well at least im doing better!!"

"Yup. So I guess this means that you can chase me now?", you teased then released him. You skated far away as fast as you could as you watched him stumble. He chased you for about five minutes before you gave in and finally let him catch you, you were afterall beginning to feel sorry for him. You felt his warm arms wrap around you and breathed in his cologne. You felt all tingly inside and caught yourself wishing that he had kissed you. You were glad you let him catch you, it was worth it.

"Ha, I caught you!", he said joyfully, a little too joyfully.

"I LET you catch me", you didn't want him enjoying this moment too much.

"Still , I caught you"

"Yea , well im getting a little tired of skating. You know what I haven't done in a while?"

"What would that be?"

"Snow angels and snowmen", you grinned as you almost regretfully loosened yourself from his grasp. You got off the ice and dashed over to the snow. You threw yourself on the ground. Very adult-like of you. For the next couple of hours you let your inner child go on a rampage in the snow.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"Rox are you cold?", Craig asked.

"Nope not really", You replied holding back shivers because you were really freezing.

"Then why are your lips blue?", Emma giggled.

"Well I guess I might be a little cold. Why don't we go to that place, the spot?"

"The dot, stupid", Emma said.

"Well excuse me, let's go." You all walked to the dot and as you approached the store you saw a "Help needed" sign hanging on the outside of the store. As you walked in you pulled the sign off.

"I don't think you're allowed to do that?",Craig stopped your hand.

"I can put it back later. Besides, I need a job", you shrugged.

"Oh", he let you continue to take the sign.

"Let's sit here", Em pointed to the table closest to a heater.

"Get me a hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie? I'll be back in a bit, I need to talk to the manager", you decided that the person you wanted to be here was a hands on person. The kind of person that got what they wanted and didn't take crap from anybody.

"Ok , well good luck"

"Mhmm". You walked over to the counter and asked the cashier where the manager was and if you could speak to him or her. She directed you to a room in the back. You walked down a hallway and knocked on the door at the end you waited for a reply. After about a second she asked you to come in.

"Hi, my name is Roxanne I came to ask you about the job offer", you waved the poster around.

"You took it off the window?" she laughed.

"I wanted to be the first to ask", it seemed obvious a second ago. Now it really just seemed stupid.

She shook her head and smiled, "Well do you have any experience in the restaurant industry?"

"Er. No, not really", crap.

"Well-"

"You have to start somewhere", you interrupted.

"True true. Well how old are you?"

"Sixteen"

"Okay"

"I've been told that I'm very mature for my age", you tried. She laughed again, laughing was good.

"So tell me about yourself"

"Well I'm responsible, persistent, creative, easy to get along with, a people person, determined and a leader", you felt a bit weird trying to sell yourself.

"Well that's a lot but all very good qualities. Can you work a cash register?", she pulled the glasses off the bridge of her nose and folded them in her hands.

"No, but I can learn"

"Are you good at math?"

"Yes, very"

"Well, Roxanne, I'm impressed that you took the initiative to get yourself in here. If that's any indication of the type of employee you'd be then I'm very interested in having you here"

"Awesome", you were excited but reserved, you didn't want to let your emotions show. You were doing that a lot today.

"Great, you start in two weeks on Monday at 4:30. That's when you can meet the rest of the employees."

"Ok that's wonderful. Thank you so much". You shook her hand and left. You skipped back to the table and sat down.

"Could that smile be anymore obvious?"

"What do you mean?", you asked gleefully.

"Something good happened spill the beans", Craig said.

"Well I'm now employed if that's what you mean", you said casually.

"Great! When do you start?" Emma asked.

"In two weeks", you squealed. "Oh the hot chocolate", you wrapped both hands around the mug a took a large sip.

"So are you excited about starting school?", Craig asked.

"For once in my life yes I am so incredibly excited."

"Heh yea well once you get there you'll want it to stop"

"Probably", you said while dunking your cookie in the chocolate.

"Well at least you're happy, most of us are dreading going back through those doors 2 days from now", Emma said.

"2 Days! Yay! Im stoked I cant wait!" you looked at your fingers which were still very cold despite the fact that you were holding a scalding cup of cocoa. "I'm absolutely freezing. I should go home and change"

"Yea that's a good idea", said Craig.

"You guys can come over if you want but I think you should change first", you were all soaked.

"Once again, a good idea"

"I'm going to take a shower and lay around the house, Em can you sleep over tonight?"

"probably"

"Good, well Craig you're welcome to pass by"

"I'm kinda tired so I don't think I will", he said.

"That's fine", you shrugged. You and Emma fell asleep at around twelve in warm pjs and woke up with a phone call.

"Hello?", you said drowsily wanting to murder whoever was calling you.

"Rox?"

"What the hell do you want from my life man?", you grumbled.

"I wanted to know if I could go over"

"Yea sure the door will be open just come in and remember to lock the door"

"Ok ill be over in a few"

"Don't expect me to stay awake for you", you snapped.


	4. Degrassi Part 4: She's a Rejector

* * *

**She's a Rejector**

She's a Rejector by Of Montreal

* * *

You stared at the ceiling still wanting to kill him. You looked at Emma whose head was off the side of the bed and not visible from where you were sitting. Being around him this often made it way too difficult to think about him the way you should be thinking about him. If Emma was right then he was trouble. Emma was always right. The doom that followed when you refused to listen to her was inevitable. Things were different now right? Highly unlikely. Emma was the reason whereas you were the impulse. The impulsive decisions, the spontaneous activities, and the celebrations without anything to celebrate: you were all over that. She was your stability and she was there to catch you when you took a risk and jumped, only to fall on your face. Her opinion was worth valuing even if it wasn't what you wanted to hear. Something had to be said, however, for the way you were immediately attracted to him. That had to mean something right? It had to mean something good. Or it meant that he was an asshole like every other guy you had dated. At least your taste in guys was predictable. You let out a huge breath of air and got up to brush your teeth. You walked into the bathroom and pulled your hair up into a pony tail to wash your face. Trying to work things out right now was useless. No good thinking was going to happen when you knew he was on his way over to your house.

After you finished you went over to your living room to watch some TV. You were debating between watching Varsity Blues and Project Runway when you heard footsteps approaching your room. It was Craig, of course, he was incredibly dressed up and you suddenly felt like a mess. You touched the hair that was pulled into a nest on the top of your head and tried to tuck the loose ends in. His black button up shirt in no way went with your New York Yankees tee and his black pants put your plaid bottoms to shame.

"Hey Craig", you said while feeling incredibly insecure.

"Hey, I brought a friend if you don't mind", he said while pausing at the top of the stairs.

"Oh no, that's fine", you smiled.

"Cool", the way he said it was completely and utterly _Cool_. You wanted to punch yourself for being putty in his hands. He continued down the stairs and was followed by a guy who seemed to be your age.

"Hi, I'm Jimmy", Jimmy was also dressed up. You felt like crap.

"Hi, Roxanne. Nice to meet you"

"So how are you liking our humble little town so far?"

"It's nice. I mean I don't really know anyone besides Emma and Craig but I'm not too worried about that, I've been told that I'm charming and quirky", you laughed.

"It's worth saying that people in our school tend to get into a lot of trouble", Jimmy warned.

"So I've heard, but I'll be with Emma most of the time and I doubt I'll get into any trouble let alone a lot of it", you reassured.

"Wishful thinking is good", he laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean? How could Degrassi be _that _bad?", what was this guy talking about?

"Sometimes it's almost hard to believe what's going on. It's like someone picked all the terrible things that could possibly happen in high school and made them all happen at Degrassi. I guess you'll see when you get there", he shrugged. What did he mean by that? His feelings did not help your glass half full approach.

"It's kinda chilly", Craig rubbed his arms.

"Yea the heat doesn't work as well down here. It might help if you guys were wearing regular clothing. What's with that anyway?"

"So how exited are you that school starts in one day?", Craig asked already knowing the answer. You didn't answer but a huge smile crept across your face even though you were kind of tired of people asking you.

"Don't try to change the subject", you stopped him.

"Are you serious? You're actually excited" Jimmy asked.

"You stop that too", you looked over at him

"We really have no idea what you're talking about", Craig had a sly smile on his face.

"Do I have to remind you that you woke me up this morning? I could still be sleeping right now and you two could be freezing your asses off on the sidewalk.", you tried the little bit of pull you had.

"She's feisty isn't she?", Jimmy looked over at Craig.

"We can't tell you Roxanne, it's a surprise", Craig shrugged.

"A surprise like finding 5 dollars in your pocket or Surprise, you forgot to roll the car window up, last night it rained and your car is flooded?", you were hesitant.

"The good kind", Craig said simply.

"What you believe to be good, and what I believe to be good are probably very different", you narrowed your eyes a bit.

"I promise this is something we'll both agree is good. Anyway, we didn't come to stay for long, we just wanted to give you a heads up that you two should be ready by four", he said in an almost indifferent way that was definitely hotter than he intended. There was really something wrong with your primitive mating senses.

"And you're not going to tell me what we're supposed to be ready for?", you leaned against the door frame with your arms crossed hoping to look equally uninterested. There was no way you could rival the nonchalant mannerisms that he owned.

"I wouldn't exactly say that it's a black tie event, it's more like semi-formal. Don't be too casual though", he said as ran his hands through his hair.

"Well are you wearing that?", you gestured at his outfit.

"With a jacket", he corrected in a "duh" tone.

"Okay, that's all the information I need. I'd offer you guys something to eat but I'm about to start a very long process that you really don't want to get in the middle of", you said simply.

"We were on our way out anyhow", Craig started to move up the stairs.

"Bye", you sent him on his way and spun around to wake Emma up.

.:.:.:.:.:.

"You have to get up now", you stood over Emma and shook her.

"Jesus! What is your problem", she kicked you away.

"My problem is called Karma. Remember what you did to me yesterday?", you pulled the pillow out from under her head.

She scrambled around to claim yours, "I was somewhat nice about it. Poking does not warrant assault in the world of karma you jerk"

"Well my news is more important than yours", you said defiantly.

"What, is Rupert Grint at your door naked?", she asked.

"No"

"Then it's not important. According to you. Right now I'm liking your rules so leave me alone", she rolled over.

"I need you to help me pick something to weaaaarrr", you whined.

"You've never needed my fashion advice before"

"Okay, but I do now and I'm asking for you help", you rebutted. You hoped that if you put her in the higher position she would help you.

"Bring me a cup of coffee and I'll think about it", she finally gave in.

.:.:.:.:.:.

After you had fulfilled her wishes (skim milk and two teaspoons of sugar) she was ready to help you.

"You know he's trying for something", she said as she gently blew on her steaming coffee.

"He's just being nice", you knew she was right.

"Me and Craig are friends and he's never taken me anywhere but the movies. I'm going to remind you that a trip to the movies doesn't require a three piece suit", she looked at you meaningfully.

"Well if he was trying for something, he wouldn't be off to a bad start now would he", you smiled.

"You're never going to listen to me are you?"

"I haven't decided anything other than that I'm willing to play this game for a little while", you loved control. You took a second to be honest with yourself; you were not the one with control here.

"He's good at games too. Tonight will be exhibit A"

"Then I'll just have to pick something ravishing to turn the odds in my favor", you grinned and dashed off to your closet.

"So how do you feel about a red dress?", you screamed from the closet.

"No way! Too loud", she shook her hands in the air.

"Are you joking? It's classic! There have been songs written about it!", then you sang in a very off tune way, "Lady in Red"

"Still, um, no", she appeared with half a waffle in her mouth.

"Red is sexy", you grumbled then rummaged for something else to wear. You settled on plum colored strapless babydoll with a thick cream colored band wrapped under your bust. After the three hour process you were done. You had straightened out your hair and waved the ends in a Jessica Simpson-esque way. You traded in your black eyeliner for dark brown and brushed your eyelids with lavender with eggplant in the crease.

"So you're not playing fair", Emma observed as you were pulling on a locket. She was wearing a powder blue halter dress and white flats.

"Now why would you say that", you were fishing for compliments.

"Well your boobs are so perky right now you could take an eye out. I have no idea how you did it, but your lips look extra pouty, your hair is flawless…" she took a big sniff, "And you only wear that Gucci perfume on special occasions". She nailed it.

"I think we have to consider what's really not fair here, and that's the fact that Craig can make me go absolutely crazy just by looking at me. It's about time he felt the same way. Besides, maybe with him stumbling over his words instead of me I'll be able to really evaluate this whole situation", you reasoned.

"The 'whole situation' being?", she asked.

"The whole situation being 'do I really want to pursue this'? You said it yourself, he's bad news"

"I never said he was bad news, he's a good guy Rox. It's just that he has a tendency to make mistakes, like he's subconsciously looking for trouble or trying to sabotage himself", she corrected.

"It sounds like _you_ don't even know what my opinion about him should be", you guessed.

"Explain"

"Well if you really wanted me to stay away you wouldn't mention the fact that he's a good guy. On the other hand, if you were really 'Team Craig' you would overlook the fact that he's prone to making mistakes. And if he's a good guy with a good heart then doesn't that mean he can change?"

"I really have no idea Roxanne. I just don't want you to get hurt", she sighed.

"Do I get to know what those mistakes were? Maybe it'll help me form an opinion", you asked.

"Not my secrets to tell. I'm sure you'll learn them in time"

"Well you look hot too", you said almost defensively. You pushed your breasts up with your hands.

She shook her head, "Well we better go I'm sure the boys have been done for hours", she went to grab her purse.

"They're coming here", you paused her arm. "We're the ladies", you added. Within minutes your doorbell was ringing furiously. "Told you they'd come", you snickered as you shoved money and thin cell phone inside your bra. "What?", you shrugged as Emma looked at you, "I don't have any bags to match this" You both climbed the stairs to the main floor then pulled the front door open. Jimmy and Craig both gawked at the two of you as if to say you looked incredible, although it was Jimmy who actually said it.

"You guys look amazing", he said then held out his arms for you both to clutch. You were disappointed. Why hadn't Craig said anything? He was the reason you had put so much effort into looking this good. You spent two hours doing your hair and you plucked your eyebrows for god's sake. You grasped harder on to Jimmy's arm in an attempt to make Craig jealous, but didn't look back to see if you had succeeded.

You and Emma climbed into the back of Jimmy's SUV which was waiting in the driveway.

"So where are we going then?", you asked once you were settled into the seats.

"Since Joey owns the dealership he gets to meet a lot of cool people. Sometimes those people give him free stuff if he cuts them a deal with their cars", Craig said from the passenger seat.

"What Craig means is that the events of tonight cost him absolutely no money so don't be too impressed", Jimmy laughed as he pushed the car into third gear.

"That's not what I was saying, I just wanted to give them a hint without actually telling them where we were going. Thanks Jim"

"Yea thanks Jimmy, now I don't feel bad…or impressed", you laughed.

"It did take some planning", Craig grumbled.

"I don't know about Rox, but _I'd _really like to know where we're going", Emma piped up.

"It's a play", Jimmy revealed.

"Jimmy!!", Craig punched him on his right shoulder.

"Don't punch the driver Craig, that's just not smart", Jimmy said.

"I told you not to say anything", Craig

"They were just going to keep asking. Girls have those high voices, they get really annoying.", Jimmy adjusted his rearview mirror and you could see him rolling his eyes in it.

"Fine. Joey mentioned that your mom was telling him about this play you've been wanting to see and he happened to have tickets from one of his customers. Joey doesn't really care about that crap so he said I could have them", Craig looked upset that the surprise was ruined.

"What play is it?", you asked gently hoping not to irritate him.

"Wicked", he said glumly. Emma was right; he did know how to play the game.

When you got to the theatre you were glad to see that you weren't overdressed. The play was amazing, just as you had imagined it. The only downside was that things between you and Craig hadn't gone exactly the way you wanted them to. Your ego took a shot; were you losing your touch? You attributed that to the fact that he was playing just as hard as you were. What you assumed he didn't know what that there was no point in playing hard to get when you already wanted him the way you did. You managed as many glances at him as you could without seeming obvious. You just wanted to catch him looking at you once; you never did. You wanted him to try a dumb move like pretending to stretch and slowly letting his arm settle around you. Maybe he could lightly rub his leg against yours; by accident or on purpose, you weren't picky. Middle school was way easier than this. People were too young in middle school to have reputations that could make you think twice about being with them.

On the way home Jimmy dropped you and Emma off first. Both you and Craig watched Emma walk into her house then Craig walked you up to your door. It suddenly occurred to you that you and Craig had never been alone before.

"Thank you Craig, it was fantastic. It was perfect", it was almost perfect, "You know you really didn't have to do that, even though the tickets were free", you grinned and embraced him, you were throwing in all the moves now

"No problem", he said. He paused for a long moment with a pensive look on his face before he finally added, "You really looked nice".

"Nice?", that was all?

"Beautiful even", you wished you could tell if he was blushing or not.

You grinned triumphantly, "I know". You wanted him to go home with something to think about. You bit your lip and stared up at him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and truly, honestly considered kissing him. He wrapped his arms tighter around you and tilted his head forward the tiniest bit. Before he could lean in anymore you slipped out of his arms and then stepped away.

"Well Goodnight then", you half smiled and slid into your house.

What the hell was that? You would've screamed at the top of your lungs if you weren't sure that he was still on the other side just as confused as you were. Immediately your phone began to ring.

"I saw everything", Emma blurted out before you even said anything.

"So you saw my major fumble then?", you asked as you slipped off your heels and rubbed the soles of your feet.

"Why didn't you kiss him?", she asked.

"Apparently I'm an idiot and weren't you the one telling me he has too much baggage?"

"Yea but that was rejection"

"No, not true. It was a lapse in judgment"

"I was peeking at you two from between my living room curtains, which are covered in dust by the way, and just thinking one of you was going to go in for it and you two were finally gonna kiss. I didn't know who it would be, since both of you seemed equally as eager to get the other's pants off, but I knew it was going to happen. You messed it all up Rox!", she spoke without taking any breaths.

"I was confused. Frankly, now I'm even more confused. He's going to hate me tomorrow isn't he?", your eyes widened.

"Maybe, but it'll probably have the exact opposite effect. He's going to fight twice as hard now"

"You know, you're really really confusing Emma. I want to follow your advice but you keep giving me mixed messages", you scowled.

"Maybe I just haven't made up my mind yet, like you said"

"This sucks"

"I warned you"

"Oh shut up. You can't even offer decent advice. Oh and you were peeking at us from your living room? What are you like five?"


	5. Degrassi Part 5: Shame on You

*

**Shame On You **

Shame on You by Hot Hot Heat

You stared up at the ceiling; the clock read 11:30 am. It took a moment before you remembered what had happened the night before, but then it all came flooding back. You cringed and wondered what Craig had done after you closed the door on him. Had you led him on? What would happen the next time you saw him? You hated uncertainty.

"You need to come over", you said once you had dialed Emma.

"Why are you always so bossy in the morning?", she grunted.

"Please", you pleaded.

"Fine, you're lucky I already prepared props for today"

"What are you talking about?" It wasn't completely surprising when Emma arrived with drawn maps of the school and color coded diagrams to ensure that you wouldn't get lost the next day. You were tempted to laugh but decided against it because that was a sure fire way to irritate her. As for your attire the next day, you decided on a yellow and grey tunic and a pair of black jeans. Emma spent a good part of the day trying to get your mind off Craig by talking about other guys, which was something that you and Emma did best. Only one guy was off limits, Chris.

"Secret romance huh?" you teased.

"In a way", she smiled to herself, you knew that feeling.

The night did not pass by as smoothly as the day had. Most of it was spent drifting in and out of sleep as you always did the night before something big. The next morning after getting dressed and putting on a ton of foundation to combat the dark circles under your eyes you walked over to Emma's. You rang the doorbell and both Emma and Snake answered, ready to go.

"Not that I don't love seeing your smiling face in the morning, Snake. But, please tell me that we're not walking together. I have lots of big impressions to make and you're going to cramp my style", you smiled.

"No of course not, he has to get there early and we have to go to dunkin' donuts first. The only way to face Degrassi in the morning is on a full stomach.", Emma said as she waved him away and rummaged around in her pocket for some money. "Oh and I hope your poker face has improved", she added nonchalantly.

"I can't even lie to four year olds Em. They believe _anything _and they don't believe me. I've come to terms with the fact that my poker face is absolutely terrible and will probably never improve. Luckily, when I say that I want a small mocha there isn't really any lying going on. I think I'll be safe", you walked carefully to avoid the snow that had turned into a nearly invisible layer of ice.

"Not what I'm talking about", she shook her head.

"Then enlighten me"

"Craig and I walk to school together. After you get your mocha with little to no lying involved we have to go pick him up"

"Oh", was your response, "Well it's not like anything really terrible happened"

"Yea, I mean rejection isn't all that bad. It's nothing like physical harm anyway; emotional harm is so much less damaging", she said airily.

"Have you talked to him?", you asked casually.

"Not really, no"

"He can't be mad at me", you insisted.

"People can be whatever they want", she shrugged.

"Well he's just going to have to deal with it", you said sternly.

"That sounds more like you", she smiled.

You gently knocked on the front door of Craig's house and he immediately pulled the door open.

"Well Good Morining Ladies", he smiled and wrapped a scarf around his exposed neck."Morning", you yawned into your sleeve and avoided looking him in the eye.

"So, Uh, Craig how was the rest of your weekend?", Emma asked as she stuffed a piece of a corn muffin into her mouth.

"Good good. I got to babysit Angie and play about 52 games of Candyland, it was absolutely exilhirating", he said sarcastically.

"Sounds fun"

"Oh, I'm not done. After the Candyland I got to watch 12 hours of Hannah Montanna. Then Hannah Montanna Karoke. Oh, and I've never baked that many cookies in my life. But I guess the sugar rush was worth it, isn't that what girls do when they feel rejected and upset", he paused and your heart lurched, "it made me feel better".

"Girls know a few things about how to solve heartache", Emma said to distract Craig as you tried as hard as humanly possible to disappear.

The three of you arrived at school at 7:45. Like every January morning it was cold and dry. Breathing in through your nose almost hurt and breathing in through your mouth instantly made your throat ache. Your nose burned from the rough bitter air that rippled against it. You dug your hands deeper into your pockets and looked down as your eyes started to tear from the wind. There was coffee and aftershave in the air and it was absolutely freezing. As you walked up the stairs to the front doors you felt oddly out of place. Despite how comfortable you felt over the weekend this was not your home yet. You let out a deep breath and smoke tumbled out of your mouth and floated upwards to the sky. Craig pulled the door open and you slipped into the main hall, the warmth from the inside delicately thawed you out and as it gently reached your core you felt optimistic again. The school was filled to the brim with hundreds of students and you didn't recognize a single person. It was too overwhelming. Sneakers squeaked on the floors while stilettos tapped on the tiles and echoed through the halls. The school looked completely normal so it was hard to believe that the warnings Jimmy and Emma had dished out were of any consequence. The lockers, classrooms and people were completely normal looking. You could already pick out the hipsters, the Goths, the emo kids, the jocks, and the preps. It was a giant cliché, just like every other high school. You couldn't pinpoint which group Emma and Craig belonged in. Where were the musicians? The Crunchy Green Hippies? That's where they belonged. You searched around, the guys here were not disappointing, and that was good news. It meant that you had some distraction from Craig. As you stepped into another large hallway a large group of hockey players passed by. You had lots of distractions from Craig.

Emma gave you a quick tour and you both went to class. You weren't too surprised to see that your homeroom was a computer lab. You were surprised; however, that Snake was your homeroom teacher. It was a pleasant surprise, and it was one of the few things that put you at ease. You grabbed the seat next to Emma and looked around hopefully to see if you knew anyone in the class. This act itself was pretty dumb because the number of people that you knew here wasn't at all impressive. When you restricted it to people that were your age the number shrunk down to a dismal four. You saw J.T. but were hesitant about waving. You weren't sure if he remembered you and weren't really up for making an ass out of yourself.

"Snake's coming over", Emma whispered in your ear.

"Oh no, why?", you asked.

"Well it's customary for people to introduce themselves on the first day of class. Duh, or do you not do that in the states?", she said with sarcasm saturating her words.

"I hate this"

"So sorry Roxy, but you have to", Snake said as he approached you and put his hand on the back of your chair.

"Let's pretend that I have no thoughts, no interests and come from nowhere even the slightest bit appealing. Also, I hate people and don't want any friends. No one needs to know who I am", you hated standing in front of large groups of people, it made you feel vulnerable.

"We know that's not true"

"It could be", you widened your eyes.

"Just get it over with", Emma pushed you out of your chair and you had to grasp the desk for support, "You can start with how not graceful you are"

You held back a growl and walked up to the front. "Hi. My name is Roxanne, I'm from New Jersey and I like long walks on the beach. Naturally, since I'm from New Jersey I'm in the Mafia. My favorite place to be would have to be Narnia and my favorite thing to eat is Green Eggs and Ham", you were satisfied with your introduction and returned to your seat beside Emma.

"You're an idiot", she shook her head.

"What? I was being completely honest. Narnia is bad ass and you know it"

In order to not offend Snake you tried especially hard not to fall asleep. Unfortunately there was no glitz or glamour involved in html so this seemingly easy job proved to be very difficult. You decided to distract yourself with what, or who, was sitting directly opposite you. His wavy blond hair sat wildly on his head and jutted out in all different directions. You couldn't tell what was going on in his computer screen to make him smile but you were happy about it nonetheless. He ran his hands through his hair, which did nothing to tame it, before returning to his keyboard. You kept staring but not long enough for anyone to notice, or so you hoped.

"Forget about it", Emma said bluntly.

"What?", you asked almost defensively.

"He's taken by Miss. Popularity"

"Hmm, you'd think Miss Popularity would've picked someone a little more clean cut. Someone who wears a polo, popped collar, you know, the works", you thought out loud.

"Well she chose him"

"And your point is?" you asked.

"My point is you can't have him"

"So pessimistic we are", you shook your head, "besides, aren't we trying to help my lovesick soul here? He's just what I need", you smiled to yourself.

"If what you need is social suicide, then yes, he is"

"You're killing me Em"

"Sorry, you know I don't believe in any of that social hierarchy crap but the rest of our school does. Hence, social suicide", her eyes scanned the computer and her fingers click clacked against the keyboard.

"Maybe I just need to shake things up a bit, this could be fun", you smiled.

"That's possibly the worst idea you've ever had"

"You're just jealous that you didn't think of it first. The time has come where Genetically Modified Foods and saving the rainforest are no longer enough to rile people up"

"That may be the case, but guess what", Emma snickered to herself.

"What?", you said wearily.

"Your next class is with Craig"

"I hate you"

You strolled out into the hallway with your tote thrown over your shoulder and scrambled over to your locker. Once there you fumbled with the lock until you managed to remember your combination. You tossed in some CompSi books and pulled out a history text. You reached into the bottom of your bag and pulled out a wadded up paper ball. You flattened it against your locker to find the number of your history classroom. Your last resort would be asking Craig for help.

A hand appeared from above you and snatched the paper from your hand.

"Hey!", you snapped as you turned around with your arms crossed and your eyes hardened.

"We won't need that schedule now will we?", Craig beamed and he tucked it into his pocket, "Not when you have me as your own personal chauffeur"

You hated that he could be so completely normal when you were so confused. Maybe it just didn't mean that much to him.

"Guess you're right", you slammed your locked shut and walked his way.

"You know you really should be paying attention", Craig whispered to you fifteen minutes into class.

"What?", you weren't paying attention, you were more interested in the intricate page wide doodle you had going on in your notebook.

"That's my point", he said.

"You're distracting me", you nudged him away and kept drawing.

"_I'm _distracting you? _Me? _Seriously? You really don't need my help there", he said defensively.

"You're being disruptive and distracting everyone else", you pointed out. Your teacher, Mrs. Kwan, was talking about the holocaust which was something you had already learned about in your previous school so instead you sat there doing absolutely nothing and picking a fight with Craig for no reason. It was a nice break from the nap you had taken in homeroom. Your notebook was ripped from beneath your hands.

"Miss. Roxanne I don't know what you did in your old school but here we learn. What I do know is that you don't know what I've been talking about for the last five minutes so do yourself a favor and listen." She tossed your notebook back at your desk and started to turn when you spoke up and said,

"Actually I do", you corrected. Craig nudged you with his foot in warning.

"Oh, really?", she seemed baffled.

"Yes mamm"

"Well then why don't share with the class so you can prove your point.", she sneered.

"Gladly", you inhaled deeply, "Well the holocaust occurred from about 1938 to 1944. During this time Adolf Hitler slaughtered millions of Jews, homosexuals and gypsies by the gas chamber, starvation, dehydration, gun, or evil experiments. This is what most people consider to be the greatest genocide in the history of the concentration camps as they were called were basically the pits of hell where not many left alive. The inhabitants were tricked into murder and many were forced to bury the bodies of others, possibly friends or relatives. The American troops were sent to liberate camps but where too late for the many who had already perished. Hitler committed suicide or a double suicide along with his wife Ava brawn. People today still deny this ever happening", you paused, "Or had you not gotten to that last part yet?"

There was a stillness in the classroom and you exhaled sharply and returned to your doodle. Craig whispered a, "Good job", in your ear. You looked over and winked at him. For the rest of the class the only thing that kept your attention was the overwhelming amount of pride that filled you.

After your double period of history you walked over to your locker to switch your books. As you stuck your arm inside you locker you felt someone creep behind you. It was Craig you were going to kill him, this sneaking up on you really had to stop. You grabbed your books, slammed your locker shut then turned around.

"Roxanne, right?" he asked as he leaned on the locker next to yours. It was most definitely not Craig. He didn't have the same casual coolness either.

"Last time I checked", you said in response. You took a closer look at him. His eyes were different too. They were a brilliant blue and shone even brighter when contrasted with his thick dark brown eyebrows. His skin was smooth and pale and you thought you saw traces of dimples in his cheeks. His hair was concealed by a black bandanna and the smile on his face grew as he watched you examine him. In a cafeteria scene he would've belonged with the leather-jacketed bad boys.

"I'm Sean. I saw you in history today. I'll tell you one thing, you've got some balls Vega", he said and his grin grew wider. So you had made an impression.

"Should I be flattered or creeped out that you know my last name?", you asked.

"Flattered", he said smugly. You could smell a hint of toothpaste or mouthwash with every word.

"Well then thanks", you said and turned to more fully look at him. He was really cute and you noticed that he had a headset around his neck. "What are you listening to?" you jerked your head in the direction of his head phones.

"Nothing interesting", he replied.

"Really?" you reached over and lifted the headset off his neck then placed it over your ears. You heard a familiar riff and realized this CD was currently residing in your computer. You placed the headset back around his neck and leaned over towards his ear and whispered, "My favorite is number four". The bell rang and you saw Craig, he didn't look very happy and you assumed it was because you were leaning in this close to your new friend.

You leaned in closer and said, "I guess I'll see you around".

"Yea, see ya", he said. You made your gaze linger on him for longer than it should've and you made sure that Craig saw too.

When you turned to face Craig you smiled as innocently as ever, "Craig!" you said gleefully and skipped over to accompany him. "So where are we off to now? I believe you have my schedule"

"Bio", he said quickly.

"What? No witty banter? I expect more from you Mr. Manning", you smiled.

"Long day"

"It's 10:30"

"So Sean huh? I wouldn't mess with that if I were you", he looked at you. What did that mean?

"I can make my own decisions Craig. I know Emma told you to watch me but I'm capable", you were not a child. Besides, you had just met Craig who was he to know what was best for you?

"This isn't about you Rox. It's about Emma", he said sharply.

"What about her? She said that there was only one guy I had to avoid", Craig had this absolutely profound way of confusing you.

"That's because she's being way too nice. They have history and you don't want to get involved with someone's Ex", he explained.

"I'm someone's Ex, that doesn't mean people can't get involved with me"

"You know what I mean. Em is your friend it'll be awkward."

"I'm not going to marry him Craig. Besides, it's only my first day. I'm just scoping the guys out. Relax."

"Bad choices"

"I've heard you're not the greatest decision maker either", you looked up at him and narrowed your eyes.

"Maybe we should drop it", he said tensely.

"Great idea", you paused, "So do I know anyone in our class?"

"JT"

"Good, he's a cutie", you smiled.

"You need to reign in your hormones before you get yourself in trouble", he looked at you in warning.

"I'd say you're jealous", you said smugly.

"I'd say you're crazy", he scoffed.

After a lecture on the fetal pigs you'd be dissecting the next week you walked to lunch with less of an appetite. You stepped into the cafeteria and looked around for Emma. Craig had gone onto his next class so you decided to use this opportunity to do some poking around. Emma was off by the corner and engaged in conversation with a girl with short brown reddish hair. When you were spotted Emma waved you over. You haphazardly crossed the lunchroom and found yourself in front of Emma and the pixie like girl next to her.

"You must be Roxanne, I'm Ashley", the pixie held out her hand.

"Hi", you greeted her with a smile.

"You should sit with us today", she said and pointed to the table behind her where a lot

of people, including the boy from homeroom, were sitting.

"That's really nice of you, thanks." you smiled again but for entirely different reasons

this time.

"Ashley, could you excuse us for a minute? I have to talk to Em about something, you

know first day jitters and all", you lied.

"Oh yea, sure. We'll be right over here if you decide to join us", she stepped away and

returned to her seat.

"The idea of you being nervous about anything is hysterical. We both know you're not

like that. What do you really want?", she crossed her arms and waited.

"I just have a quick question"

"Well go", she persisted.

"So Sean", you tested her reaction to his name.

"Yea? What about Sean", she seemed annoyed but you weren't sure that it had anything

to do with Sean.

"Any unrequited love you wanna talk to me about?", you encouraged.

"Unrequited love? With Sean Cameron? Okay, why are you asking me this", she almost

laughed.

"I'm serious, and the fact that you're avoiding answering my question makes me think

that there's still something there"

"Well no, there's no unrequited anything there. Now answer my question"

"I was talking, _just_ talking, to Sean in the hallway. Craig came to pick me up and he

must've thought that it was something else. He said, in his most fatherly tone, that I should stay away", you stopped abruptly when she began to laugh.

"Because of me? He said you should stay away because of me?", she said incredulously.

"Yea, he said you were being too nice when you told me there was only one guy I should

stay away from"

Emma burst into laughter, "Do you understand what he's doing?"

"I'm assuming he's trying to be a good friend to you", you were caught off guard. This

wasn't the reaction she was supposed to be having.

"I'm not the one who wants you to stay away Rox, Craig is", Emma looked at you

meaningfully.

"He lied?",

"He exaggerated the truth. He's just saying that so it doesn't look like he's jealous.

Which he is. I had History with Jimmy this morning and I was filled in on what happened after your minor catastrophe the other night"

"Really? What happened?", you were eager to know what Craig had said about it.

"He was a little put off, obviously. But I think I was right about what I said before, he's

more determined now than he was before. Jimmy says that Craig has this plan of action", she snorted.

"This is ridiculous", you shook your head.

"Yea I know right? What's so special about you?", she laughed.

"Hilarious. So what exactly do I do?"

"You should ask Jimmy, don't you have math with him next?"

"Yea", you frowned.

"Just sort it out then. It'll be fine"

"Jimmy!", you screamed as you bounded down the hallway and towards room 102.

"Hey Rox", he turned abruptly and you skidded to a halt so as not to bump into him.

"We really need to talk", you eyed him seriously.

"I am having a great day, thanks for asking. Lunch left a little to be desired but, eh, what can you do", He ignored your previous statement.

"Sorry Jimmy, It's just that this is important", you pouted.

"Right, right. And I'm not. Got it. So what do you need?", he stepped into the math classroom and you followed behind him.

"What did Craig tell you. Oh God, he didn't tell you I was a tease did he?", you panicked.

"Oh, so you care what he thinks. Then would it be safe to assume that this is because you like him?", he asked casually as he slumped into a chair.

"I haven't decided that. I just care about what people think of me. New school, new people. I want to start off on the right foot", you shrugged and hoped it made you look nonchalant.

"Well let's see", he thought for a second then continued, "he was really pissed that you didn't kiss him. Which is completely understandable, he did take you on a really fancy date after all. It must've been at least an eight if not a nine"

"It was not a date", you interrupted him.

"It most definitely was"

"If it was a date then you and Emma wouldn't have been there. You also wouldn't have been staring at us out your car window while we were on my porch", you stared at him.

"It's not like anything interesting happened anyway. I was expecting a show", he crossed his arms.

"That's disgusting"

"If I were you I would expect more things coming my way. Craig, he's a fighter"

"Well you should let him know that I'm keeping my options open and will be considering _all _of my possibilities"

"I'm sure he'll _love_ hearing that. You should know he isn't a big fan of not killing the messenger. You're putting me in danger here"

"You can handle it I'm sure"

The chair on Jimmy's other side screeched against the floor and you looked up. The boy from your homeroom class sat beside Jimmy and nodded in greeting.

"Spinner", Jimmy said to acknowledge him. You nudged him in the ribs with your elbow and then looked off into space. "Oh", he added, "Spin, this is Roxanne. Roxanne, Spinner". You looked back at him as if he had completely caught you off guard and smiled broadly at Spinner.

"Nice to meet you", you leaned across Jimmy to shake his hand.

"I think you're in my homeroom class", he said as a look of contemplation crossed his face.

"Mr. Simpson?", you feigned surprise.

"Yeaaaa. Then you definitely are. You were sitting with Emma this morning weren't you?", he asked but nodded as if he already knew the answer.

"Yea I did", you smiled.

"I can't believe you didn't see me. I was sitting right across from you", he laughed.

"I'm not very functional, let alone observant in the mornings", you explained.

"Fair enough", he smiled. You were going to give Miss. Popularity a run for her money.

"I hate Gym", you groaned as you pulled a pair of blue and yellow athletic shorts on.

"You could use the 'it's my time of the month' excuse. Works like a charm. Guy gym teachers don't like to ask too many questions.", Emma said as she combed her hair up and twisted into a bun.

"Nah, I'll save that for when I really need it. I guess it won't be too bad, what are we doing anyway?", you asked as you tossed your jeans into the locker and slammed it shut.

"Dodgeball. Oh how I love being a moving target for the boys", she sighed and plopped herself down on the locker room bench closest to you.

"It's boys against girls? That's how they're making the teams? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard", you pinned your bangs back with a bobbypin and proceeded to tie your shoe laces.

"Let's march to our death shall we?", she scoffed and walked out of the locker room. You follow her out and are met with a chorus of groans coming from the girls' side of the court.

"Wow, they're positive aren't they?", as you walked your tennis shoes squeaked against the gym floor.

"Let's make this easy shall we?", a red headed girl said as you approached the girls.

"For them or for us?", you asked.

"Both its, an easy win for them and less humiliation for us", the brunette next to her piped in.

"Or we can really surprise everyone and actually win", it was true that you didn't want to play, but you hated losing.

"Ready to lose Vega?", a guy shouted from the other side of the court.

You turned and saw the guys approaching. They looked like they were getting ready for battle. You could've sworn they were walking in formation and their feet were definitely in sync. The front man was the one shouting at you.

"I think you're a little confused Sean", you took a few steps up to the dividing line.

"I guess we'll see about that", he said mockingly.

"Bring it on", you turned away and ran to your team in a panic. "Change of plans, we're winning this game"

"Impossible", the redhead said as she looked down at her nails.

"Okay, you need to calm down with your negativity because you're really not helping. Everyone else, just throw balls. Aim for anyone and anything; with any luck it'll actually hit someone. I'll cover the rest. We can do this"

"I'll help too. You're making me feel useless", Emma slipped in next to you.

"I thought you didn't want to play"

"What can I say. I'm a sucker for a pep talk. Let's get out there soldier".

You all stepped up to the dividing line and prepared to start.

"Em, you should know that I have no hand eye coordination", you whispered while looking straight ahead.

"I'm right there with you. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

The screech of the coach's whistle echoed off the gym walls and was followed by the sound of sneakers pounding against the floor. You managed to grab a ball and hit a guy who was bending down to get a ball of his own. That was one. Before you could enjoy it you had to squat to get out of the way of a ball that went wizzing by your head. You hear a girl squeal behind you and watch as the redhead walks off and to the benches. As bitchy as she was it still was not good to see your numbers dwindle. Emma barely slinked out of the way of a ball before tripping over your shoe and narrowly missing the ball Sean had chucked at her.

"Dammit Emma", he screamed from the other end.

After about five minutes you remain alone on the court with Sean being the last guy on the other side. You met his eyes and smiled wickedly at him. You tossed the ball up in the air, caught it with the other and tried to look as menacing as possible. You got down low and faked him out before throwing the ball directly at his shoulder. You had won. You stumbled into the shower in the locker room and washed away what little sweat you had gathered up. Today had been a long long day, and it was only your first. Degrassi was a mess. As you're got out of the girls' locker room you felt someone tap you on the shoulder. You spun around startled.

"No so tough now are we", Sean laughed as he leaned against the wall.

"You jerk. You scared the crap out of me", you brought your hand to heart in an attempt to slow the beating.

"Im a jerk? I'm not the one who bruised the shit out of your shoulder", he rubbed it tenderly.

"Oh that", you said while laughing.

"Yea that", he said

"I was just playing the game Sean. Don't take it personally"

"Wanna see the damage?", he asked as he began to pull off his sweater and move the strap of his tank top to the side. A bluish purplish bruise was already starting to form.

"Stop being such a baby", you said as you prodded the spot with your finger.

"As far as apologies go, that one really sucked", he said jokingly.

"If you wanted one you only had to ask."

"Roxanne I would like it if you apologized for brutalizing my arm", he said while

laughing.

"Sean, I am really sorry for hurting you.", you leaned over and kissed the bruise, "Better?"

"No, but I know what _would_ make it better", he said smiling slyly.

"And what would thaaa-" You couldn't finish your sentence because while you were

talking Sean crept forward and pulled you towards him. He wrapped his arms around your waist and looked into your eyes. You were immediately hypnotized by his amazing blue eyes and you barely noticed that he was about to kiss you until he had already started. He kissed you lightly at first as if waiting to see if you would let him continue, after you didn't pull away he slowly parted your lips and slid his tongue into your mouth. You were kissing for about 15 seconds when he pulled away and said, "Yea much better".


End file.
